The number of web sites devoted to diabetes continues to grow. This should be a good thing, but I am wondering if we are getting the advantage. It seems that many of the sites do nothing but promote more studies about nothing and create more misinformation.
I had hopes when Amy Tenderich covered a new site "TheDiabetesResource.com" that had been sending out emails to announce it arrival on the scene. Its mission was to be a resource for all that is about diabetes. Amy's coverage was on October 5, 2009.
So to see what Amy was talking about I did some investigation. I discovered that it had a listing of blogs about diabetes; however, when I looked further, many of the blogs are misclassified, listings are duplicated, and in some cases are dead sites still on the web (anything with no activity for more than two years is a dead site to me). There is a lot of work for this site to correct the errors it has created for itself in the rush to go public.
I commend the site for what it wants to accomplish, but it did not do its homework before exposing its flaws to the public. Many of the errors will probably remain uncorrected while the site tries to get the latest information on line. Yes, we all make mistakes and live to regret proper prior planning and this site will have a lot of work to do to become the source for all that is diabetes.
Until some of the misinformation and errors are corrected, I will sit on the sidelines and wait before joining. I like the concept, but not the product that is now available for public consumption.
Here's hoping that this site is able to fulfill it mission and be the one source for diabetes - there is a need for this.
